In most industries, efficiency of production is an important consideration. For example, in industries that rely upon the assembly of components via fasteners, such as the automotive industry, efficiency can be gained by reducing the time it takes to form an assembly of two or more components or layers. Due to the large number of fasteners employed to assemble a complex product, such an automobile, the cumulative result of any reduction in the time involved in the fastener insertion process can be meaningful, regardless of whether the process is automated or manual. Further, efficiency can also be realized by reducing the number of steps, such as by eliminating previously required steps, in any repetitive assembly process. Although the automotive industry provides a ready example of the importance of improving efficiencies, improving efficiencies is important to any industry that employs repetitive processes for assembling components or layers via fasteners.
Thus, objects of the present invention include improving efficiencies in repetitive processes for assembling components or layers via fasteners.